Old Boat House launches county’s second restaurant week

Paul Larkin

The Old Boat House Food Group will be giving diners a taste of the Restaurant Week experience with a Northumberland flavour next week.

Following the success of last year’s Northumberland Restaurant Week, where customers chose from a special menu of two course for £15 deals, The Old Boat House Food Group will be running a second initiative from Monday to Sunday, January 20.

The award-winning food group, which operates The Old Boat House, Fish Shack and La Famiglia in Amble plus Blyth Boathouse in Blyth, will be offering a wide selection of dishes at reduced prices across all four of its coastal eateries.

Food group owner Martin Charlton hopes the event will highlight some of the great local produce and unique personality of Northumberland.

Having previously travelled to Parliament to showcase the region as part of the county council’s Produced in Northumberland scheme, Martin would like to tempt diners from all over the North East to explore the charms of Northumberland.

Martin said: “Northumberland is just a short drive from many of the larger towns and cities in the North East and it’s really worth the trip. We have it all, from freshly caught seafood to stunning coastal views and world-class attractions.

“We hope that with Northumberland Restaurant Week and other incentives such as Produced in Northumberland we can really establish Northumberland as a leading force in the tourist economy and national food and drink scene.”

Aside from helping boost the county’s profile, incentives such as Restaurant Week are particularly important to independent food and drink businesses like The Old Boat House Food Group as they help drive trade during typically quieter times such as January and February.

The success of Northumberland Restaurant Week last year helped considerably in sustaining employment opportunities within the local coastal community.

The Old Boat House Food Group co-founder Ruth Charlton added: “Northumberland Restaurant Week helps in introducing new customers to our restaurants as well as offering something new for our existing ones. By supporting events like this people are helping us to sustain a year-round economy in Northumberland which really benefits the dozens of staff we employ from the local area.”

Northumberland Restaurant Week runs from Monday to Sunday, January 20.